By By Adam Prestridge
Two Atmore residents were injured Thursday afternoon following a bizarre crash that occurred just south of the Atmore Country Club on Hwy. 31.
According to a spokesperson with the Alabama State Troopers Office in Evergreen, Arthur McKenzie of Atmore and Lakeshia Finley of Atmore were both transferred by Kelley's Ambulance Service to Atmore Community Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during an accident in which the vehicles they were driving collided nearly head on.
Officers at the scene of the accident, which occurred at 1:25 p.m. and caused slight traffic delays both northbound and southbound, stated that the driver of a silver Chevrolet Camaro could have been the cause of the accident. The driver, a white female, whose name was not released, told officers that she was attempting to pass a transfer truck headed south toward Bay Minette when she realized she might not make it. She stated that she decelerated to pull back in behind the truck, but decided last minute to accelerate and complete the pass. In doing so, the Camaro nearly collided with McKenzie's 2006 Buick Lucerne GXL. McKenzie, who was traveling north, slammed on his brakes and swerved onto the shoulder of the road to avoid hitting the Camaro and fishtailed sideways into the southbound lane. The Camaro cleared the Buick, but Finley's red 1995 Toyota Camry t-boned McKenzie in the passenger side and sent it into a ditch.
The Atmore Fire &Rescue Department, Atmore Police Department and Escambia County Sheriff's Office deputies were the first on the scene of the accident. Trooper Pedro Dacosta investigated the accident.
No reports were released on the conditions of McKenzie and Finley, but their injuries appeared to be not life threatening.